Scientists observe what works best for animals, plants in efforts to build better products

By Sharon Oosthoek, 15:00 PM April 4, 2012

This is one in a series on careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics made possible by support from the Northrop Grumman Foundation.

Imagine a tape so strong it can hold your weight and be peeled off thousands of times without losing its stickiness.

Stanislav Gorb, a professor of zoology at the University of Kiel in Germany, figured out how to make such a tape last year. His creation was made possible by biomimicry, the science of looking to nature for inspiration in design...